Characters / Hells Kitchen Season 20

Main: Hell's Kitchen

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Trenton Garvey

"I'm so happy... I mean, I can kiss everyone in the fucking mouth right now because I'm beyond words."

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 23

Hometown: Union, MO

• Big Fun: He's one of the more open male chefs and the largest, especially during his second reward.
• Broken Win/Loss Streak: A meta example; after a string of 7 seasons that ended with female chefs winning Hell's Kitchen, Trenton came into the competition and not only made it to the finale, but he also emerged as the winner of the season, making him the first male chef to win Hell's Kitchen since Season 12's Scott Commings.
• The Cameo: Made a special appearance during Season 21, celebrating his wedding.
• Country Mouse: He was never outside of Arkansas/Missouri before competing on Hell's Kitchen and was very surprised at seeing a palm tree.
• Deadpan Snarker: Trenton tends to make some pretty sardonic comments on occasion.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: His style of leadership. Kiya even called it a mini form of Ramsay's leadership (though in a you're trying too hard kind of way).
• Highschool Sweethearts: While not given an exact start time, Trenton said he has been dating his girlfriend for nine years (meaning they started when he was either thirteen or fourteen). After he won, he proposed to her. The two of them would get married in the following season.
• Hidden Depths: He mentioned that he came from a broken family.
• The Scapegoat: His only nomination was due to Alex throwing him under the bus during the infamous "chickengate" incident in Episode 3, even though he tried to tell the latter to let it cook longer. Trenton was not happy with Alex after that incident.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: A downplayed example. After winning some of the individual challenges, Trenton's ego started to swell up and he spoke fondly of himself in every possible way, much to the annoyance of Kiya and Brynn.
• What Were You Thinking?: When doing the Emoji challenge in Episode 5, the chefs were instructed to follow the recipes to the letter. However, Trenton openly admits to Chef Ramsay that he put mayo in the tartar sauce to "spice it up." Kiya later says that trying to "spice up" one of Chef Ramsey's recipes is basically insulting him.

Placement: Winner

Trenton's Winner Comment - "I don't even know what to say. Oh, my god. I've worked, and I've worked, and I've wanted to push myself and be more and more every single day. I can't believe the door opened."

Ramsay's Winner Comment - "Trenton is everything I want in a protégé. At a very young age, he's already proven to be creative, passionate, and a driven leader. He will be a great asset at Gordon Ramsay Steak 2.0 at Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas."

Megan Gill

"Rookie mistake by taking off the lid."

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 22

Hometown: Denton, TX

• Beware the Nice Ones: While she's one of the nicer chefs, even she was really sick of Kevin's bad performance in episode 7, threatening to punch him in the throat.
• Character Development: After her sole nomination, she improved more on her vocalness, allowing her to reach the final three.
• Graceful Loser: While disappointed that she lost in the finale, she called the experience rewarding and felt Trenton deserved it.
• Nice Girl:
  • One of the nicer chefs this season; a shining moment happened in episode 6 when Ramsay complimented her on a steak Steve made; she immediately responded by saying Steve made it rather than try to take credit.
  • Somewhat deconstructed as her nice and relaxed leadership brought concerns that her team would not be focused come dinner service, something Sous Chef Christina took notice of.
• What Were You Thinking?:
  • She was one of the chefs who failed to earn a point in the emoji challenge for altering the given recipe.
  • In the finale, she inexplicably assigned Josie to the meat station when Steve, a far more consistent cook, was standing right there. After Josie sent up several failed dishes, Megan swapped her out for Steve who performed much better, but at that point the damage had already been done and likely contributed to her defeat.

Placement: 2nd

Megan's Runner-Up Comment - "This really sucks. Obviously, I wanted to win, but at the end of the day, I'm so fucking happy for Trent. I mean, he deserves it."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Kiya Willhelm

"If Josie can't taste the dish, like how can she say it's correct?"

Occupation: Head Chef

Age: 22

Hometown: Barrelville, MD

• The Ace: She never made any major mistakes that was worth nomination (aside from the filet incident but that was somehow looked over), and she's the only one of the final three that wasn't nominated.
• Badass Decay: Although she was one of the strongest and most consistent chefs of the season during her run, she fell apart during the finale, serving raw or undercooked chicken multiple times to the point that Antonio had to jump in and help her.
• Beginner's Luck: When she had to work with bluefin tuna for the second Black Jackets Challenge, she was worried as she had never cooked tuna before. She did well enough to get a black jacket.
• Deadpan Snarker: Her go-to response to any mistakes she sees others make.
• Heroic BSoD: She had a meltdown after making mistakes running the pass as she never had a bad service until then. It got to the point of hyperventilation, and Sous Chef Christina had to calm her down in the storeroom.
• Gun Nut: When Kiya first spoke with Ramsay, she offhandedly mentioned to owning 67 guns.
• Jerkass: The amount of confessionals where Kiya is not talking about another contestant that was not shit talking can be counted on one hand. In actual interactions during the competition, she was for the most part not mean, but not one to frame their opinions in a way that, as she put it, "cared for people's feelings."
• Jerkass Has a Point: While she did talk a lot of shit about other competitors, it doesn't mean some of it was not warranted.
• The Leader: Became this for the red team as the competition moved forward.
• The Rival: To Trenton, though this seemed mostly one-sided on her part.
• Team Mom: Shows shades of this before one service where she asks if any of her teammates need a hug.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Towards Trenton during the black jackets. It went from finding him annoying, to bonding with Brynn during a punishment over how much they hate Trenton, and then almost all of her confessionals in the black jackets were about how everything he did set her off. It got to the degree she would casually mention wanting to physically assault him. Which is a new level of Jerkass for her, considering prior to that she mostly just said people are dumb, too emotional or they're sucking really hard.
• What Were You Thinking?: She made a Season 8 Melissa level mistake by cooking the filets early before the course was ready. They were cooked perfectly, but Ramsay could not serve them at the time.

Placement: 3rd

Kiya's Elimination Comment - "Who the fuck would have thought that a girl from Barrelville would be on Hell's Kitchen and make it to the final round before the Finale? I didn't really know I could learn as much stuff as I have here, and I didn't know that along this process, I'd find my voice in a kitchen and find my confidence. Definitely feeling proud of myself."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Brynn Gibson

"If I have a mental breakdown, just bear with me."

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 21

Hometown: Providence, RI

• Beginner's Luck: When she got polenta as one of the items for her dish in the first Black Jackets Challenge, she was worried as she had never used polenta before. When her dish was judged, while Ramsay and the guest judge wished that she had featured the polenta more she was one of two chefs to get a black jacket in that challenge!
• Fatal Flaw: Her anxiety. Brynn was a strong chef who could be vocal, but her anxiety often got the better of her and it resulted in her making mistakes. It came to ahead while running the pass as Brynn could not get her emotions under control and it costed her a chance to be in the finale.
• Happily Adopted: She mentioned in Episode 1 that she was adopted from Cambodia and is grateful for the life her foster parents gave her.
• Heroic BSoD: Suffered an anxiety attack after the crash course of all the dishes on Day 1. Emily managed to calm her down.
• Hysterical Woman: Because of her anxiety, Brynn could either be calm or break down into tears (though thankfully she did not get into screaming matches with everyone). This heavily affected her performance in the running the pass service and Ramsay had no choice but to eliminate her.
• Leader Wannabe: Attempted to take charge in episode 4 but wound up mostly yelling and talking over her team, which led to further confusion. The red team even put her up for nomination after that very service.
• Ship Tease: With Steve. She was unclear about how much of joking about their wedding came from a place of sincerity.
• Token Minority: She is the only Asian American on this season. Also, the first Asian chef to make black jackets since Gail from Season 8.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom:: Brynn decision to use her Punishment Pass on Steve was the sole reason he struggled that night and was nearly eliminated over Josie. In an interview after her elimination, Brynn stated that she did not intend for that to happen, she just did it because Steve took her reward earlier that season.
• What Were You Thinking?: She was one of the chefs who failed to earn a point in the emoji challenge for altering the given recipe.

Placement: 4th

Brynn's Elimination Comment - "It really, really does suck that I don't have the opportunity anymore to be Chef Ramsay's protégé, but I'm extraordinarily proud of myself and how much I've grown. When I first came in, I was afraid, scared, vulnerable. Now the Chef I am, I just bounce back. I came in fourth out of so many people. I'm so eternally grateful for being here and having the opportunity to not only, you know, just become a better chef but find out who I am."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Brynn definitely has what it takes to be a great head chef. Once she learns to control her emotions, I know she will get there."

Steven "Steve" Glenn, Jr.

"I'm here to kick ass and take initials, 'cause names take too fucking long to write down!"

Occupation: Chef de Partie

Age: 21

Hometown: Midlothian, VA

• The Ace: He rarely had any dishes that were below subpar in challenges and he has shown to be consistent in every service until Episode 10 when he gets into his own head after Brynn uses her Punishment Pass and has him do the punishment, and afterwards is nominated for the first time.
• Badass Boast: When he was nominated in Episode 10, he made a very passionate plea that his poor performance that night was a fluke and would only come back stronger from there. Based on his performance in the following episode, he managed to make that plea worth every cent.
• The Big Guy: The tallest of the rookies at 6'4.
• Black and Nerdy: Has shades of this as he says his favorite sport is bowling.
• Deadpan Snarker: He's prone to making some pretty sarcastic comments.
• Fatal Flaw: Steve was without a doubt the most consistent chef on the blue team, and was considered the favorite to win for a while. However what ultimately did him in was his quietness. His first nomination occurred when he went silent on the final nine service, and resulted in him messing up, and at the final five, his reserved nature convinced Ramsay he was not fit to run a restaurant.
• Heroic BSoD: Having Brynn steal his reward and being forced to do a tedious punishment shook Steve up, resulting in him making his first mistake in service and being uncommunicative. It took a pep/threat talk from Ramsay to shake him back to normal and he managed to bounce back the following episode.
• History Repeats: Like several chefs before him, he received the final black jacket and was the first of them eliminated.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Steven, but he went by Steve during the show.
• The Quiet One: Steve was one of the most reserved chefs of the season and never spoke up unless needed. However, as the competition continued, it became a problem amongst the chefs and it led Ramsay to eliminate him come black jackets despite being the most consistent chef of the season.
• Ship Tease: With Brynn. He even joked with his peers about having Gordon officiate their marriage.
• Two First Names: Steven Glenn.

Placement: 5th

Steve's Elimination Comment - "It's bittersweet. I came here to learn as much as possible from chef Ramsay. I definitely feel like I learned so much. Chef Ramsay has definitely boosted my confidence a whole hell of a lot. I definitely had a good time. And I'm super grateful for the experience. Overall, Hell's Kitchen has meant the world to me. I know I made Grandma proud. You know, she's the whole reason I'm here, so I know she was looking down watching the whole time. And I know she's happy, so that's cool."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Steve still has a lot to learn. Unfortunately tonight, he learned that silence in the kitchen isn't golden, it's goodbye."

Antonio Ruiz

"Bounce back, baby! Bounce back! Bounce back!"

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 23

Hometown: Great Falls, MT

• Blatant Lies: Tried to say he did not volunteer himself for nomination. Cue a replay showing him do just that.
• Fat Idiot: Shades of this. He was a main participant of "chickengate" in Episode 3 and believed his underseasoned irregular ceviche was one of the best dishes in the alcohol challenge, along with Matthew's raw chicken. He would also say things to try and be more impressive like he only sleeps for a few hours without realizing how dumb that makes him sound. Subverted after he switched to the red team, as he became a far stronger chef.
• Graceful Loser: He had no anger losing out to Steve for the final black jacket, admitting the latter did better than him on the dish and looked forward to his career.
• Hypocrite Has a Point: He promised Sam he would not throw him under the bus when they were nominated, but he did so when Ramsay asked who the weakest chef was. Still, Antonio knew Ramsay did not like getting non-answers and Sam's night was miserable. Also, he had seen Sam try to avoid answering the question earlier and probably decided that it was better to break his promise than anger Chef Ramsay further.
• Leader Wannabe: He tried to be one for the men during the opening night, but all he kept doing was saying "bounce back." After a few episodes, Trenton got fed up with him and really started to step up, Trenton viewing it as another example of no one working together like how his family does not.
• Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: Has no idea who Laurel and Hardy are, according to his confessional.

Placement: 6th

Antonio's Elimination Comment - "It's the difference between beating myself and getting beaten by somebody who was better, and tonight, Steve was better, and that's—that's okay with me. It's been a hell of a ride. I'm—I'm glad I did it. Chef Ramsay will definitely see me again."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Emily Hersh

"Now I see [Antonio] his little coffee stance. It brings out the competitive edge in me."

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 22

Hometown: San Antonio, TX

• The Cameo: She, along with Victoria, made an appearance in Season 21 as one of several guests attending Trenton's wedding, likely due to her longer tenure on the Blue Team than with the Red Team.
• Deaf Composer: She is a vegetarian chef (the second after Season 1's Wendy), and she wants to prove that vegetarians can cook proteins as well as others. That being said, she was willing to taste her pork chop in the Cook For Your Life Challenge given the stakes. The fact she was able to make it to the final seven proved her worth as a capable chef despite a handicap.
• Failed a Spot Check: During the Cook For Your Life challenge, she failed to plate the brussels sprouts needed for her dish. What makes this even more egregious is that she talked up how much she loved brussels sprouts and how she got her dad to love them, meaning she would've had more of a reason to not forget them. Fortunately, she survived the challenge.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Josie. The two of them were vegans, and as such bonded very closely.
• Irony: A heartwarming example: While she suffered from an eating disorder during her dancing days, she managed to turn her life around by becoming a vegetarian. This is something Ramsay lampshades.
• Nice Girl: She was one of the nicest women in the competition, rarely having any negative things to say to anyone. When she was eliminated, Ramsay called her one of the most positive chefs he ever met.
• Only Friend: Emily seemed to be the only friend Josie had after the latter burned so many bridges with the red team due to her attitude. She even felt sad to see Josie go home when the latter was eliminated.
• Tempting Fate: During the seventh episode, Emily would state she had full confidence in Kevin on the fish station. That same night, Kevin crashed and burned spectacularly, and wound up getting ejected as a result of it.

Placement: 7th

Emily's Elimination Comment - "Oh, I really did want that black jacket. That is a disappointment, but, you know, this experience has just meant the world to me. I will remember this for the rest of my life. I think my future is so bright that I don't need that black jacket. I'm gonna do something worthwhile on my own."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Samuel "Sam" Garman

"Do I get cab fare after this?"

Occupation: Executive Chef

Age: 22

Hometown: Fleetwood, PA

• Big "YES!": He does this after surviving the Cook For Your Life challenge.
• Deadpan Snarker: As seen by his quote above.
• Epic Fail: His chicken performance during Steak Night. After three overcooked chickens in a half-hour, it was a raw chicken that got the red team kicked out.
• Failed a Spot Check: Sam walked up Alex's chicken in the second service without feeling it, and it turned out raw. While Alex blamed him for screwing him up, Ramsay only gave Sam a warning not to take things he was not prepared to back up on.
• Four Is Death: Was eliminated after being nominated for the fourth time.
• Glass Cannon: One of the stronger chefs of the season and makes mistakes due to rushing things.
• Honor Before Reason: After Antonio and Sam screw up so badly that the Red Team is kicked out, they agree not to throw each other under the bus. But when they are both nominated, naturally Chef Ramsay asks both who the weakest chef was. Sam refuses to name Antonio, but Antonio is smart enough to name Sam; Sam is eliminated as a result.
• Hot-Blooded: He's a pretty energetic chef. He admits in episode 7 that it tends to lead to trouble sometimes. In episode 5 he says if he is given attitude he will LET YOU HAVE IT!
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Samuel, but he went by Sam during the show.
• Tempting Fate: During his last dinner service, he hoped he would not fall on chicken as so many others did. Guess what happens?

Placement: 8th

Sam's Elimination Comment - "Yeah, I'm definitely pissed. Antonio really fucked me over tonight. That's where the Honesty was my demise. He's the person that should be standing here. But, you know, I'm not the type to push blame around. I'm the type to own up to it and, you know, learn from it. Little mistakes is what kills you, and that's what happened tonight."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Sam struggled with chicken all night and then struggled to give me a straight answer. I had no struggle taking his jacket."

Josie Clemens

"His presence is something else. Like I can smell his cologne on me right now. I love it, I love it."

Occupation: Private Chef

Age: 22

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

• Aesop Amnesia: In the seventh episode, Josie would lose a point for the red team after she made an overpowering soy sauce that she didn't even taste as it had chicken juice in it. The very next challenge, Josie would do the same thing again, as she made a sauce that was too salty.
• Arch-Enemy: Towards the end of her run, she regarded Brynn this way. She viewed herself as the lone hero telling Brynn things she doesn't want to hear, and hyperfocused on Brynn's faults, perceived or not. This, combined with her alienating herself from her team didn't do her any favors. This is beautifully displayed in Episode 10, when the red team said they need to squash the drama and Brynn said no drama is coming from her end... and then they cut to Josie saying Brynn is acting like such a bitch.
• All of the Other Reindeer: Felt this way towards the red team as the competition continued as she felt they were alienating her based on her poor performances. However, it doesn't help that she herself began distancing from the team in the dorms and showed it by wanting to sit next to Emily in the Blind Taste Test. In the same episode, she said she hopes her team brings it on as the camera shows her smirking deviously. This never became anything as she was eliminated that episode.
• Deaf Composer: She is the first vegan chef to compete. However, it slowly became a hindrance for the red team because her refusal to taste any meat-based products ruined potential dishes in two challenges.
• Distracted by the Sexy: She had a huge crush on Ramsay almost from the first moment that she saw him. She also had a crush on Curtis Stone when he dined in the red kitchen in episode 3.
• Dramatic Irony: She is a vegan, but the station she was eliminated on was garnish.
• Failed a Spot Check: She was responsible for walking the lamb during the fifth dinner service, but it ends up turning out raw. This resulted in her second nomination, but while she did survive, Ramsay warned her not to take someone else's mistake.
• I Work Alone: Began focusing on her own problems after being nominated multiple times. It backfired on her and she was eliminated.
• The Load: Slowly became this as the competition as she made more mistakes come service and her challenge dishes failed to score any points for the red team.
• Not Helping Your Case: It would be one thing if Josie was getting bullied by the red team and being alienated by her teammates, which would mean her claims about being the outsider ringing true. However, she alienated herself from the team in her final episode by refusing to be in the same room as her teammates and wanting to sit next to Emily (her friend on the blue team), which added fuel to the red team in looking down on her.
• Oh, Crap!: When put up against Steve in Episode 10's elimination ceremony, she had this reaction after the latter made a very strong plea, realizing she was fucked and going home.
• Picked Last: Unsurprisingly, Josie was the last pick by default.
• What Were You Thinking?: She was one of the chefs who failed to earn a point in the emoji challenge for altering the given recipe. Ironic, considering she criticized Trenton for doing so in a confessional.

Placement: 9th

Josie's Elimination Comment - "I'm so disappointed. I'm gonna miss Emily. She's been such a great friend for me. But at the same time, I'm proud of myself. So it's a great experience, and whoever ends up hiring me, it's going to be really lucky. Because I've learned a fuck ton."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Josie may have come a long way in this competition, but right now she still needs more time to grow."

Victoria Sonora

"Root vegetables. I don't know what it is about root vegetables that turn me on. And they're just so sweet, and like, loving. Like, if I could be anything, I'd be a root vegetable."

Occupation: Jr. Sous Chef

Age: 21

Hometown: Longmont, CO

• Achilles' Heel: Struggled on fish station both times she was nominated. Her second time led to her elimination.
• The Cameo: She, along with Emily, made an appearance in Season 21 as one of several guests attending Trenton's wedding, likely due to her longer tenure on the Blue Team than with the Red Team.
• Every Year They Fizzle Out: She had a very impressive resume, but she ended up being fairly inconsistent.
• The Generic Girl: She doesn't get much of a chance to shine amongst the red team or the blue team, and even her mistakes during Episode 4 (which led to her nomination) were quietly forgotten.
• Out of Focus: Was not much seen much after switching over to the blue team, perhaps due to not making too many mistakes during service.
• The Quiet One: Was one of the quietest chefs in this season. Unfortunately, this led to her elimination as being quiet while leading a course on Charity Night is the worst time to be quiet.
• Rule of Three: She was eliminated on her third nomination.
• Shorter Means Smarter: Subverted. She was quite inconsistent at times.
• Tempting Fate: She hoped that the snapper course on Charity Night would not be a repeat of her terrible performance on fish in Episode 4. Sadly, it was, and it was one of the reasons she was eliminated.
• What Were You Thinking?: Subverted. While Victoria made pulled pork sliders, she was smart enough to pull them off come judging as she feared they were too spicy for Megan Ramsay's liking.

Placement: 10th

Victoria's Elimination Comment - "I don't feel like I let my team down. In fact, I don't think my mistakes were necessarily as great as some of the others. But I've learned countless lessons, and those are things I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Victoria may have an impressive resume, but after her performance tonight there's one job she won't be adding to it — head chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak."

Keona "Keanu" Hogan

"I feel super fancy. So, hopefully I look super fancy."

Occupation: Private Chef

Age: 23

Hometown: Baltmore, MD

• Beginner's Luck: In the International Cuisine Challenge, she was worried about cooking Greek food because she had never made it before. When she was the last Red chef to present her dish, she clinched the challenge for the Red Team.
• Glass Cannon: Emotionally, Keanu tended to break down if things did not go her way.
• Informed Flaw: She was nominated during Episode 5 because Josie claimed she was scrambled. While she shouted at Payton during dinner service, it did not affect her performance negatively. Ramsay saw through that and told Keanu to stay in line.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Keona, but he went by Keanu during the show.
• Removing the Crucial Teammate: She was a strong chef on the red team and helped win challenges and get through services for them. Once she was eliminated, the red team could not win the remaining challenges over the blue team.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Not a bad-looking chef, but when Ramsay went through old photos of the contestants, she positively looked like a supermodel in her photo.
• Tempting Fate: Twice
  • When the red team had a strong winning streak at the beginning, she tauntingly told the blue team to give them some competition. But after the team switch, the blue team did and the red team began sinking at dinner services.
  • Despite charring her pork chop in the Cook For Your Life Challenge, Keanu thought (or maybe just hoped) it would pass for a rustic setting. Sadly, it got her eliminated.
• Tragic Mistake: Keanu was one of the stronger red chefs of that season, but she costed any chance of surviving the Cook For Your Life Challenge after serving Ramsay a charred pork chop.

Placement: 11th

Keanu's Elimination Comment - "I was not ready to go home, but I'm not gonna let this knock me down, for sure. If anything, it has awoken a fire in me. I'm just happy to had made it this far. I'm just so proud of myself. I'm, like, look, Mom I really made it."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Keona has many of the important attributes required to be a great chef. But when her pork went up in flames, so did her chances of continuing in this competition."

Kevin Argueta

"The first ticket is always very crucial, that's what sets the tone for the night."

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 22

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

• A Death in the Limelight: After not standing out for many episodes, he finally got some focus in the seventh episode...where his team was shown slowly giving up on him and him completely falling apart on fish, leading to his ejection.
• Epic Fail: Served Ramsay raw lobster tail three times before finally getting the lobster tail right. After dragging his team on the fish station, he was eliminated mid-service.
• Following in Relative's Footsteps: Mentioned during the signature dish challenge that his father wanted him to follow in his footsteps as a construction worker.
• The Generic Guy: He didn't stand out from the blue team for the first six episodes as he was the guy who did well enough to make it by. He, at best, mostly contributed by putting others down but not really delivering himself. But then comes Episode 7...
• Glass Cannon: Kevin wasn't a terrible chef all things considered. He was passable at best in challenges and service wise, he ended up making a few slipups, but could recover from them, and other chefs made far worse mistakes, which was probably the main reason as to why he managed to avoid nomination. Additionally, as even some of the stronger chefs made some fairly major screw-ups, some fans believed Kevin could make it to black jackets at the very least. That was until the seventh episode, where it all eventually came to a head. He was suddenly the weakest chef on the blue team, perhaps because all the weakest chefs were already eliminated. This inevitably led to a mid-service elimination by Ramsay.
• Heroic BSoD: Had one after repeatedly serving raw lobster tail three times. This might have played a part in his mid-service elimination.
• Immigrant Parents: Mentioned that his parents originally came from El Salvador.
• Nervous Wreck: Had this problem quite a bit throughout the competition, usually requiring him to do breathing exercises to help him calm down. Unfortunately, this didn't help him in the slightest when it came to his final service.
• Out of Focus: By far the chef with the least amount of screen time, probably due to him not making too many big mistakes during service (until his last one).
• Prematurely Bald: Had a very noticeable bald spot on the back of his head despite being 22.

Placement: 12th (Eliminated mid-service)

Kevin's Elimination Comment - "I tried to bounce right back, but I just couldn't find it in myself, and I'm just very disappointed in everything that happened. It's very devastating. I mean, I did not expect it to turn this way. I've never been put up for elimination, and it's just one careless mistake. I think I just shut down today and took me down. It just sucks I didn't just let myself down, but my family back home, my friends, and it just really sucks."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.

Payton Cooper

"You're literally serving Chef Ramsay shit, hahahaha! That's fuckin' hilarious!"

Occupation: Sous Chef

Age: 21

Hometown: Georgetown, KY

• Dodge the Bullet: Ramsay stated this towards Payton after barely surviving elimination over Morgana.
• Dye Hard: Was shown to previously had pink hair when he was younger.
• Epic Fail: Serving bland Pad Thai is bad enough. Send it to Ramsay's eldest daughter on her birthday? Your bags are already packed Payton.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: He became this to the red team upon being switched over, due to him making blunders in service and then not taking responsibility for his shortcomings.
• Good Ol' Boy: He's from Kentucky, and he has a strong southern accent.
• Graceful Loser: For all his faults, he took his elimination well, calling it "a great experience."
• He-Man Woman Hater: When moved to the red team which has more women on it than men, he starts complaining about the women, particularly Brynn. He makes statements about women generally like they're overemotional. A lot of his confessionals once the switch occurs are issues he has with women.
• The Load: Payton was never very useful throughout the competition. On the blue team, he was just barely better than Matthew, Jay, and Alex, as he either unimpressed in challenges or went unnoticed during service. Upon being switched to the red team however, he was by far the weakest member. On his first dinner service in the red team, he struggled on the garnish station but was saved only because Morgana was too quiet. However, on the next service, after repeatedly serving raw steaks and bland Pad Thai to Ramsey's eldest daughter Megan, he was soon gone.
• Never My Fault: He blamed the red team for not having his back on garnish or even when he changed teams. Sam, who went to the red team with him and was initially upset to be on the red team, called Payton’s excuse bullshit.
• The Rival: Was this to Brynn upon being switched over to the red team.
• Rule of Three: He was eliminated on his third nomination.
• Two First Names: Payton Cooper.

Placement: 13th

Payton's Elimination Comment - "Disappointed in myself, I know I could have done better. But I gave his daughter a shit entrée on her 21st birthday. This has been an amazing journey and I've learned so much to be a better chef, to be a better me."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Payton struggled on the Blue Team and the Red Team. One thing's for sure, I don't want him on my team."

Morgana Vesey

"I should have asked for help, I should have reached expectations that I was given."

Occupation: Sous Chef

Age: 21

Hometown: New London, CT

• Epic Fail: She was responsible for the red team failing to make it through the fourth service due to her problems on the fish station, along with her lack of communication.
• The Generic Girl: She didn't stand out very much aside from getting a 5 on her signature dish.
• Glass Cannon: Morgana was by all means a good cook and her strong performances in the beginning showed that. But one mistake, and she collapsed in both performance and in her voice.
• Older Than They Look: Despite being 21, she looks like she's still in high school. Even Ramsay comments on it.
• Poor Communication Kills: Pretty much what results in her elimination. Her lack of voice on the fish station led to the red team failing in Episode 5 and sealed her fate.
• The Quiet One: She suddenly lost her voice on the fifth episode, which led to many mistakes in dinner service. Even half of her dialogue was in subtitles because of it. Ramsay had no choice but to eliminate her because of that.

Placement: 14th

Morgana's Elimination Comment - "I'm disappointed in myself, I should have done better, I should have asked for help, I should have reached expectations that I was given, I know I can cook, but tonight I didn't perform."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Morgana might be baby-faced, but tonight, she behaved like a baby when her fish station struggled. The protégé I'm looking for needs to be confident and outspoken. Morgana was neither."

Alexander "Alex" Lenik

"Even a ten-year-old can cook a chicken."

Occupation: Line Cook

Age: 22

Hometown: Chicago, IL

• The Ditz: Got easily frazzled, at one point needing Gordon to literally show him the exit when both teams were dismissed after the second elimination ceremony. And then came his "breather" excuse in the third service.
• Graceful Loser: Took his elimination well, with all things considered.
• Large Ham: Downplayed example. Later on in the competition, Alex would start to get a bit more overdramatic in some of his saying and his tone of voice, such as his final plea before getting eliminated.
• The Load: He was already a mediocre chef but then turned out to be a grossly incompetent chef in his last two episodes with constant mistakes that reached embarrassing magnitudes.
• Nervous Wreck: Was this throughout his time in the competition.
• Never My Fault: Blamed Antonio, Sam, and Trenton for his mistakes on chicken in episode 3. Downplayed, as Sam admits he took the chicken out and claimed it was good to go without actually checking it.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Alexander, but he went by Alex during the show.
• Rule of Three: He was eliminated on his third nomination.
• What Were You Thinking?: Asks Chef Ramsay for a "breather" after the first entrée ticket is called. This all but fastened his elimination.

Placement: 15th

Alex's Elimination Comment - "I'm kind of bummed out that I lost tonight, but having the opportunity to learn from one of the greatest chefs in the world makes me want to push even harder and show the whole world what this generation is capable of, and I am not gonna stop."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "I was shocked when Alex asked me for a breather on the first ticket of the night. Fortunately for him, he's got plenty of time for that breather now."

Jayaun "Jay" Smith

"My nickname is 'Chef Jay the GOAT'. A lot of people back home call me the GOAT because they think I'm one of the Greatest Millennial Chefs of All Time at home."

Occupation: Private Chef

Age: 23

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

• The Generic Guy: Aside from his poor performances, he didn't stand out much.
• Hometown Nickname: He and people back home call him one of the "Greatest Millennial Chefs of All Time".
• High Hopes, Zero Talent: Jay and people back home certainly had high hopes for himself, with Jay calling himself the "G.O.A.T.", and saying everyone else back home calls him that. However with his poor performances in the kitchen, that wasn't at all the case.
• The Load: He was one of the weakest chefs on the Blue Team from the start, getting a two for his undercooked roux, serving salmon too early and undercooked in the first dinner service, needing Steven’s help during prep on learning stuff on the garnish station before the second dinner service and then screwing it up anyway. And garnish is considered an easy station! While Alex arguably was worse in the second service, Jay was bad on both services; thus, he was eliminated.
• Nervous Wreck: Was this throughout the competition, with his frazzled mind leading to his elimination.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Jayaun, but he went by Jay during the show.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: He was the third chef eliminated, and didn't really stand out much.

Placement: 16th

Jay's Elimination Comment - "I'm definitely pissed off right now. You know, at least I was honest about my mistakes. I think Alex should've been the one going home tonight, but this definitely not the last time the world is seeing chef Jayaun. I'm definitely going home, and I'm going to bounce back. I'm going to keep moving forward and do what I'm meant to do: cook."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "After watching Jay struggle so badly on garnish, I decided to assign him to a different station: the train station."

Matthew Francis Johnson

"Oh no, crap. I didn't take out the crap, I didn't de-vein it and I'm like 'shoot'!"

Occupation: Food Vlogger

Age: 24

Hometown: Duluth, MN

• Crippling Overspecialization: The only thing Matthew was even remotely good at was making his dishes look good. Making them good however was a completely different story. The best example of this was during the punishment pass challenge, where his chicken dish would be chosen as one of the best of the blue team, which even surprised Ramsay. However, while the dish looked good, the chicken turned out to be raw (the other guys didn’t notice that it was raw.)
• Epic Fail: His entire tenure on the show, really. Started off by not deveining the shrimp in his cioppino, then he served raw chicken on the elimination challenge, being second from the bottom, saved only because Ava was worse. Then during dinner service, he used a meat thermometer he snuck in from home to temp his meat, it still wasn't cooked right, and he was laughing. Is it any wonder he got the boot? Chef Ramsay didn't even let him make a plea to stay.
• Failed a Spot Check: Left the shit sack in his shrimp signature dish.
• Gosh Dang It to Heck!: As shown by the above quote.
• Hypocrite: Any of the chefs could have said it was a rookie mistake to think you could do a roux in the time allotted, but not him after his shrimp issue.
• Lethal Chef: The two dishes Matthew created had a shit sack in the shrimp and raw chicken, the last of which is a major safety hazard.
• The Load: While Alex and Jay were weak in their own right, Matthew was even weaker than they, being bad in two challenges and the first service, culminating in Chef Ramsay eliminating Matthew without even having him make a plea!

Placement: 17th

Matthew's Elimination Comment - "I definitely hoped I could last longer, but Hell's Kitchen is hell for a reason. Yes I used a meat thermometer, but I promise I can actually cook real food. I really wanted chef to see who I am, but I feel like I just never had the chance."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - "Matthew may be considered a chef on the Internet, but unfortunately, I had to taste his food, and that's why I had to block him from the competition."

Ava Harren

"I thought I had a good shot, but my first two challenges sucked."

Occupation: Meal Prep Chef

Age: 22

Hometown: Anchorage, AK

• Irony:
  • Her signature dish was called "Ava Flava Chicken." However, Ramsay found it completely bland.
  • Being from Alaska and serving an undercooked salmon dish. Lampshaded by herself and Chef Ramsay.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Aside from her two poor dishes, Ava did not have much to be remembered for as she was quickly eliminated for serving raw salmon in an elimination challenge.

Placement: 18th

Ava's Elimination Comment - "My expectations coming into this competition was pretty high. I thought I had a good shot, but my first two challenges sucked. But at the end of the day, Matthew had uncooked chicken, and I think maybe he should be standing here."

Ramsay's Elimination Comment - No comment.